To Florence

The morning of November 13, a Thursday, we set out for Florence. We had dined the evening before in the nearby town of Corazzano. At 7:30, we were the first diners in the restaurant, a serviceable spot recommended by our hosts more for the food than ambiance. Our dinner included beef carpaccio with Parmesan and white truffle sauce, wonderful paparadelli with wild boar ragu, fried rabbit and sausage with white beans. The meal was quite satisfying, the restaurant was warm and bright, and provided welcome shelter from the intensifying rain.

The rain continued throughout our meal, and indeed it would rain all night. The morning was drier, but still cloudy. Bill made us eggs with some of our truffle for breakfast, and I created a new taste sensation: pear and yogurt topped with crushed almond biscotti. Try it! We invited our cat friend in for a visit. He seemed to be quite fond of us, hopping in the car as we packed to leave. Turned out he was just after our cheese!

We said goodbye to the peaceful beauty of the farm and took off for Florence. The drive through the Tuscan hills was spectacular--a lovely harmony of rolling hills, silvery olive trees and neatly planted vineyards.

We drove through Certaldo, and Poggibonsi (a town Lonely Planet calls "one of the ugliest towns in Tuscany") and onto the A1 circling Florence. We stopped for sandwiches at a large Italian truck stop. After a bit of circling, Billfound the rental office in a suburb of Florence. We turned in the car and Bill's driving duties were complete. A taxi took us into the heart of historic and fashionable Florence.